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Reposted by Lexi K Woodward

DrAnnD @drannd.bsky.social · 1d

#BannedBooksWeek Day 2
Volume 2 is out for pre-order and 30% off this week. Five original research articles focus on classroom teachers navigating censorship and the climate of fear. States featured include: Idaho, Iowa, New York, Massachusetts, and Texas.

my.ncte.org/s/product-de...

Book cover titled Volume 2 The Impacts of Censorship: The Voices and Experiences of Classroom Teachers

Green on the top and orange on the bottom, the middle has speech bubbles of different colors with big black X's over them.

Edited by Ann D. David, Katie Burnett, Katharine Covino, Susan Cridland-Hughes, Christina L. Dobbs, Chantal Francois, and Mark Letcher

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Anna Smith @anna-phd.bsky.social · 5d

Need some joy & reconnection right now? Come to the #literacies Homecoming! October 28, 2025 @ 7-8 CT. Let's get together to reminisce about the ideas, projects, and most importantly, people we've been able to connect with through the #literacies chat years...and imagine forward together!

Dark background with stars and pictures of Anna Smith and Emily Pendergrass. Join the 2012 founders of the #literacies chat for a homecoming to remember! October 28, 2025 7-8 CT Hosted by the Writing and Literacies SIG

Dark background with stars and the text I'm going to the #literacies Homecoming! October 28, 2025 7-8 CT Hosted by the Writing and Literacies SIG

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National Writing Project @writingproject.bsky.social · 6d

Award-winning author Derrick Barnes, National Book Award Finalist and two-time Kirkus Prize winner, joins Dr. Chandra Maxwell, an NWP teacher-leader and equity-focused literacy researcher, to discuss the power of diverse literature in education. #nwpwritenow bit.ly/100125-barnes

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Lexi K Woodward @lexikwoodward.bsky.social · 8d

Joyful Literacies is front and center at NCTE’s website, and I couldn’t be more privileged to know and learn from these authors! ❤️📚
A definite recommend from me.

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Nicole R. Misra she/her @nicolermisra.bsky.social · 8d

Week 3 book recommendations for Hispanic Heritage Month! #HispanicHeritageMonth #KidsLit

This slide reads "Hispanic Heritage Month Books"

This slide features the book "Martí's Song for Freedom / Martí y sus versos por la libertad" written by Emma Otheguy and illustrated by Beatriz Vidal

This slide features the book "Sharuko El Arqueólogo Peruano/Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello" written by Monica Brown and illustrated Chavarri.

This slide features the book "Rainbow Weaver/Tejedora del Arcoíris" written by Linda Elovitz Marshall and illustrated by Elisa Chavarri.

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DrAnnD @drannd.bsky.social · 12d

Please reach out any time with questions! Or if you experience censorship, I can connect you to folks at various orgs who offer support and guidance. We're in this together and keeping diverse books in kids' hands and in teachers' classrooms is essential work. #literacies

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Lexi K Woodward @lexikwoodward.bsky.social · 12d

a baby is sitting in a crowd with a woman holding him and screaming yes .

ALT: a baby is sitting in a crowd with a woman holding him and screaming yes .

media.tenor.com

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Lexi K Woodward @lexikwoodward.bsky.social · 12d

🫶

DrAnnD @drannd.bsky.social · 12d

Thank you! And, I definitely see the power of my different positionalities as essential for this moment. I can speak when others can't or shouldn't. It's a responsibility and privilege I don't take lightly. #literacies

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Lexi K Woodward @lexikwoodward.bsky.social · 12d

Absolutely. Anecdotally, I know students that have reached frustration with this reality when they have made efforts to push back and/or speak to school boards. This makes me curious about what #literacies research on this currently looks like (and could look like 👀)

Sean P. Connors @profconnors.bsky.social · 12d

Same, Lexi! Aetornormativity is an issue that needs to be acknowledged and accounted for more often in discussions about book banning. #literacies

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Sean P. Connors @profconnors.bsky.social · 12d

Same, Lexi! Aetornormativity is an issue that needs to be acknowledged and accounted for more often in discussions about book banning. #literacies

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DrAnnD @drannd.bsky.social · 12d

Totally fair! It is so real. And not at all stepping on toes. Hopefully you have allies in your department and community who have your back. Parents who will speak at the school board before there's an issue. Maybe you can quietly share this toolkit with them. #literacies

Guide to Attending Library and School Board Meetings

Make sure local officials know you support the library and access to books of all kinds by attending, listening, and speaking out against censorship.

uniteagainstbookbans.org

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Lexi K Woodward @lexikwoodward.bsky.social · 12d

I think about how powerful this element of transparency can be for bridging our connections with families and pushing against and groups seeking to exacerbate divides. #literacies

Trevor Aleo @mraleosays.bsky.social · 12d

A5: Though I don’t think we should accept censorship, I do think one approach might be getting creative with how we frame what we teach. I just introduced literary & critical theory with The Lorax and it was one of the more radical units I’ve taught. 😬 #literacies

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Lexi K Woodward @lexikwoodward.bsky.social · 12d

Thank you for sharing! This makes me deeply consider the ways I can (and should!) use my power as a University student to step up and speak in solidarity with teachers in such vulnerable positions! #literacies

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Lexi K Woodward @lexikwoodward.bsky.social · 12d

I have often wondered this very same thing! And felt the question burn in my throat when attending school board meetings discussing censorship that did not also include students to speak for themselves. #literacies

Sean P. Connors @profconnors.bsky.social · 12d

As a follow up to my previous post, it’s interesting to me that the question of whether children and teenagers have rights—including to education books
—is invariably glossed over. #literacies

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Lexi K Woodward @lexikwoodward.bsky.social · 12d

THIS! It makes me reflective over ways we can all help one another get unstuck from this frozen fear state. #literacies

Mary Rice @digitalliterate.bsky.social · 12d

I am teaching teachers at the BA, MA, and PhD levels this semester. The thing all the groups have in common is that they are not sure what they are supposed to be doing. And that is not a slam to them. They are scared that if they do teaching, there will be a raft of consequences. Not just firing.

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Lexi K Woodward @lexikwoodward.bsky.social · 12d

A5: I think about the many ways censorship further restricts and redacts whose #literacies do and do not count. Even when the groups aggressively pushing for censorship may be community minorities, censorship ensures the #literacies that maintain current power structures prevail.

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Lexi K Woodward @lexikwoodward.bsky.social · 12d

This resonated so deeply with me. I cannot imagine a better way to frame a response to #literacies Q3

Nicole R. Misra she/her @nicolermisra.bsky.social · 12d

A4 3/4: It also, in my opinion, makes children’s worlds very small if they cannot read about people different from them in many ways. #literacies #censorship

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Lexi K Woodward @lexikwoodward.bsky.social · 12d

This makes me think about the power of administrators regarding #literacies censorship, and how, educators and school librarians can use collective voice to enact change!

Sean P. Connors @profconnors.bsky.social · 12d

The only time I’ve experienced censorship on a larger scale involved a parent who sought to remove a play from our high school literature curriculum that she objected to. Initially, school administrators complied, but they reversed course due to pressure from the department.

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DrAnnD @drannd.bsky.social · 12d

Queer texts were the most banned in the early years of this surge (21-22), but are not as often cited. But experts say it's because they've basically been removed in the places likely to remove books. Their absence is so loud. #literacies

Banned Books List 2025

What books are banned in 2025? These are the 11 most banned books of the 2023-2024 school year. The banned books list for 2025 includes "Nineteen Minutes," by Jodi Picoult.

pen.org

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Lexi K Woodward @lexikwoodward.bsky.social · 12d

Thank you <3. The power of the comfort your words brought me make me think more about ways I can affirm teachers also in this position, and how this shared sense of community through #literacies censorship matters

DrAnnD @drannd.bsky.social · 12d

Oof, yeah. There's no way around this reality. Except to acknowledge that it isn't of your own making. Again, it's a moral trap to have to choose between teaching the best way you know how-based on knowledge and research-or risk your job and safety. #literacies

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Lexi K Woodward @lexikwoodward.bsky.social · 12d

Right!? It was a DREAM to be given this class. And I feel a deep sense of passion and responsibility to do it well. #literacies

And sorry for the bummer news story you had to google and find! (lol!)

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Lexi K Woodward @lexikwoodward.bsky.social · 12d

Thank you so much for sharing! I am eager to dig into this, especially in light of continued pressure to adhere and self-censor!

Lexi K Woodward @lexikwoodward.bsky.social · 12d

A2: As a graduate assistant teaching a Children’s & YA Lit course, I recently have been confronted external pressures to self-censor in light of what happened at A&M. The idea that my continued pursuit of inclusive #literacies could threaten other people at my institution is frustrating.

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DrAnnD @drannd.bsky.social · 12d

Self-censorship is such a challenging reality for K-12 teachers in this moment. Ginsberg & Chae have a great piece on it in Vol 1 of Impacts of Censorship #literacies

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DrAnnD @drannd.bsky.social · 12d

Librarians talk about the difference between available and accessible. Just because a book is available, doesn't mean it is accessible. I appreciate your use of "access" in this context. #literacies

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